Little Surprises
by Crystal Rosen
Summary: Sequel to Mackinac Island Mayhem. Skulduggery and Valkyrie are sent back to the island for another problem, but Valkyrie seems to have bigger problems than a couple rogue vampires. Sorry this sucks and it might change...
1. Pregnant or Not?

Here it is!!! I wrote a sequel to my story and guess what?!?! I am also writing a third book to this story!!!! YIPEE!!!! I sorry this took so long and I'm sorry that this isn't so good....well, enough staling, READ!!!

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The journey back to the mainland was relaxing. Valkyrie leaned over the railing, watching the waves lap up against the side of the ferry. Despite the calming of the water, she was nervous. Was it possible for him to get her pregnant?

She had never even thought about it when she gave herself to him. Her stomach churned more with each splashing wave against the ferry as more questions flew through her mind. She jumped as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist.

"Did I scare you?" Skulduggery asked, the humor clear in his voice. She took a moment to collect herself and then turned to glare at him.

"No, you just...startled me," she replied meekly as she turned back to the water. They were silent for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Skulduggery asked, "You've been like this since we got on the carriage." Valkyrie hesitated.

"I'm just...thinking," she replied, playing with her fingers.

"About?" She shrugged.

"Stuff." Skulduggery turned her around to face him.

"Are you going to tell me or I'm going to force it out of you?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"It's not important, I'm just thinking about a few things. It's nothing to be concerned about...yet." Skulduggery raised an eyebrow.

"Yet?" he asked, "Now I'm concerned." Valkyrie shook her head.

"It's nothing, honest! Besides," she said slyly, uncrossing his arms and placing them back around her waist as she grasped the sides of his jacket, pulling him closer to her, "I think we should talk about this trip back." Skulduggery sighed and brushed his lips against her neck.

"Don't think I'm letting this go so easily Cain," he whispered against her skin and she smiled, "So what about our trip?"

"Well I was thinking we should take our time getting back, you know, see the sights and sounds on the way because I don't think the Sanctuary would approve of our current relationship so I think we should try and, you know, spend some alone time together," she said, running her hands over her his chest and gently kissing his neck, occasionally letting her tongue slip through her lips. Skulduggery was silent.

"Fine," he hissed, "But only because I think you're right and I really don't want to see Crux and Guild." Valkyrie laughed.

"Yeah, me either, but I thought you said Guild was starting to like you?" Skulduggery smirked at her.

"Just because I said he's starting to like me, doesn't mean I like him. Besides, I really don't want to explain this to Guild because it might cost us our jobs...again." Valkyrie sighed and spun back around toward the water.

"Just blame it on Crux," she said dryly, "It was his idea to send us here anyway." Skulduggery smiled and moved her hair over her shoulder and placed his hands on her hips.

"Then I will have to give him credit for the result of our mission," he whispered against the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I guess I could give him that." She felt Skulduggery smile against her neck and kiss it gently.

"Well, I'm going down to the lower deck," he said, backing away from her, "We'll be arriving on the mainland soon."

"Alright," said replied, turning look at him, "I'll be down in a minute." Skulduggery nodded and headed below. Valkyrie looked out at the horizon, the high sun making the water glitter. The momentary peace she had been feeling was soon replaced by the fear of the future as the thoughts and questions from before crept back into her mind.

The Sanctuary would find out about her and Skulduggery if she started to grow a child inside her. She rubbed her face in frustration. Maybe she was stressing over nothing, perhaps he couldn't impregnate her at all, after all, he was dead and none of his other systems functioned properly, so what made her think that this particular system was any different. She was going to have to ask him about it, without causing suspicion. These thoughts, however, do not loosen the nervous knot she felt in her stomach.

'Only time will tell,' she thought as she felt the ferry slow down as it neared the dock. She headed down to the lower level as the ferry came to a noisy halt. She stumbled a little, but Skulduggery appeared next to her, steadying her with an arm around her waist.

They walked off the ferry, grabbed their luggage, and headed for Skulduggery's rental, a black 2009 Ford Mustang ROUSH Stage 1 Coupe. Valkyrie climbed into the car, then blushed a deep red as she realized she climbed in the wrong side. Skulduggery laughed at her as she sheepishly climbed back out of the car and walked over to the other side.

'This is going to be a long trip,' she thought as Skulduggery fired up the engine and drove off.

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So? What you think? I promise I will try and update soon, but please tell me what you think!!!


	2. Too Tired

Valkyrie watched the scenery flash by as the duo headed toward Chicago. She had taken her shoes off and proceeded to sit cross-legged in the seat, much against Skulduggery's protesting. It felt funny driving on the other side of the road. She sighed in boredom and laid her head down on the council. She soon felt Skulduggery's cold fingers brush through her hair.

"Hey Skulduggery?" Valkyrie asked, trying to sound like the thought just popped into her head.

"Hm?"

"Can you get me pregnant?" Skulduggery was silent.

"It's...possible, but highly unlikely," he said, trying to word it carefully. Valkyrie tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

"What do you mean?" she choked out. Skulduggery hesitated.

"Well, the necromancer told me that it would be next to impossible for me to get a girl pregnant just by sleeping with her and that it would require a lot more...er...effort than that." Valkyrie sat up and looked at him.

"What are you implying?" she said, skeptical.

"Nothing!" he replied quickly, "I'm not implying anything! It's just...I would have to be really...worked up for something like that to happen. Nothing against you, I swear!" Valkyrie rolled her eyes and looked back out the window.

"Why did the necromancer tell you all this anyway?" she asked. Skulduggery shrugged.

"No reason." Valkyrie knew he was hiding something from her about that necromancer.

"What do you ask anyway, about the pregnancy thing?" Skulduggery asked. Valkyrie shrugged, using the same tactic as him.

"No reason." Skulduggery shot her a look and shook his head.

"Well, if it's because you're worried about being pregnant, don't. You have nothing got worry about." Valkyrie sighed and laid her head back down on the council.

"I guess you're right," she muttered, trying to convince herself of that. She felt her eyelids getting heavy, the hypnotic hum of the car making her drowsy, and she soon drifted off to sleep.

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Valkyrie awoke harshly to the slamming of the driver's side door. She moaned in frustration and slowly sat up, her muscles screaming at her in pain from her poor choice of a sleeping position. She stretched and looked around.

It was dark out, but the city lights gave off a orangish glow, making her squint her eyes. She creeped out of the car and continued to stretch her aching limbs. She was outside a hotel, a fancy one at that.

"So, Sleeping Beauty finally woke up, huh?" Skulduggery asked from behind her. She

jumped in surprise.

"God I hate you," she muttered, turning her back to him. Skulduggery walked up next to her and kissed her cheek.

"No you don't," he said smugly, walking into the hotel. Valkyrie blushed, shook her head and walked in after him. She followed him through the fancy lobby and into the elevator. Skulduggery kept shooting her smirks and Valkyrie just shook her head and looked toward the ceiling, unable to keep the smirk off her face.

They soon arrived at their floor and Valkyrie followed Skulduggery back out of the elevator and down the hallway until he stopped abruptly in front of a door, causing her to run into him. He took the room key out of his pocket and unlocked the door and then stepped aside, allowing Valkyrie entry to the room. She rolled her eyes and shook her head and walked into the room.

The room was dark, but the city lights shone through the open window, illuminating everything with that orange glow. She felt Skulduggery wrap his arms tight around her waist and slip his hands under her tunic, his cold fingers tenderly caressing her sensitive skin. Valkyrie felt every muscle in her body ache and throb with longing, but she tried to resist it.

"I'm too tired," she slurred out, trying with great difficultly to keep from letting a moan slip out.

"Are you sure?" Skulduggery asked slyly, proceeding to kiss her neck and let his fingers slide lower, under her trousers. Valkyrie couldn't contain herself as she let a long and loud moan escape her lips. She clenched her her hands into fists and her toes curled as the tingling feeling in her core start to grow.

"OK," she moaned out, "Maybe I'm awake enough."

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What you think?


	3. To Be or Not to Be?

Here it is...sorry it took so long...prom and softball...it's not very good but I hope you enjoy it!!!

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The rising sun peered through the open windows and seeped onto Valkyrie's sleeping form. The sunlight pierced through her closed eyelids, making her groan in frustration and place a throw pillow over her head in a sad attempt to block out the blinding light. She heard Skulduggery chuckle at her. Blindly, she threw the pillow in his general direction and then sat up to glare at him. He had his pants on and had just pulled his arms through his shirt. He smiled, than sat down next to her.

"So, how did you sleep?" he asked, running a hand up and down her arm.

"Well," she said, sitting up, making sure to keep the sheets up around her chest, "Besides the fact that I didn't get much sleep, pretty well." Valkyrie slid a hand down his bare chest and brushed her lips against his cheek.

"But I did enjoy my time with you," she whispered. Skulduggery smiled as his lips found hers. She kissed him back passionately, slipping her arms around his neck as he slid his hand down her bare back. She gently pushed him away as his hand slid under the sheets.

"I think we should get dressed," she muttered. Skulduggery smiled.

"But we could stay like this," he whispered, leaning over to kiss her neck. Valkyrie smiled, but pushed him away again.

"I think we should get dressed," she stated again, firmly. He sighed and stood back up.

"Fine, you win."

The city was busy. People were bustling every which way, bumping into the confused Valkyrie. She had lost Skulduggery amongst the crowd and was now looking for an escape so she could try and figure out where in the world she was. She frantically looked around and spotted a large park across the street.

Dodging several people and lunatic drivers, she fell onto the soft grass in exhaustion, the high afternoon sun beating down on her face. She held her hand above her head casting a shadow across her eyes and sighed in relief.

The sound of child's laughter soon filled her ears. She rolled over onto her stomach and watched a young child, no older than two, run toward a woman who was squatting down with her arms wide open, welcoming the child. She scooped the small child up, earning loud screams of delight in return. She continued to spin around, and then hugged the child close to her chest, kissing her forehead.

Valkyrie's thoughts began to creep back to her possibility of being pregnant as she continued to watch the mother and her child. She wanted to believe Skulduggery in saying that she had nothing to worry about, but something was telling her that there was indeed something for her to be worried about. The question was though: did she _want_ to be pregnant?

Watching the mother with her child, Valkyrie felt as though she wanted to be pregnant, almost wishing she was. She sighed in frustration. She didn't know what she wanted.

'It doesn't even matter,' she thought, 'If Skulduggery is right, then I'll probably never be pregnant whether I want to be or not.' She watched the mother carry her baby away. Valkyrie continued to stare at the spot where they had been, making a mental image of herself standing there, playing with her own child.

Her peaceful thoughts were interrupted as someone stood next to her, casting a dark shadow over her head. She turned to see Skulduggery standing there, smiling down at her.

"Excuse me sir, I believe you are standing in my light," she stated, rolling over onto her back.

"Am I?" he replied with mock surprise, "I had no idea." Valkyrie rolled her eyes as he cocked his head.

"Isn't it customary to sit on a bench while relaxing in a park?" he asked.

"Aren't doors customary?"

"Touché." He held a hand out to her and she reluctantly took it as he harshly pulled her up into his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her there. Valkyrie sighed and buried her face in his neck.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"Just life," she replied, "What about you?"

"Just how I'm going to spend the next couple of days with you." She smiled and kissed him.

"Aren't you sweet," she said, "So what are your thoughts?" He shrugged.

"Stay here for a couple more days, then head to New York City and stay there for a while?" Valkyrie nodded.

"I like it here; I wouldn't mind staying for a little while." Skulduggery smiled.

"Then I don't mind either."

For a week they stayed in Chicago, and then headed to New York City. Valkyrie fell asleep half way through the trip so when they arrived, Skulduggery had to carry her bridal-style to their room. They had been there for six days when Valkyrie's worries began to come back again: she had missed her period.

She thought that maybe she was just having a late start, so when Skulduggery said he was going out to take care of some business, she went out and bought a pregnancy test, telling herself that if her period didn't start by the time they arrived home, then she would take the test. She sat on the end of the bed, twirling the white stick between her fingers.

'This is going to be the longest wait of my life,' she thought fell backwards onto the bed.

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So, what do you think?


	4. Fears Confirmed

Here it is!! I had fun with this chapter though I think it could still be better...

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The next few days seemed like weeks to Valkyrie. It was like each day was lingering longer than the next, as if terrorizing and tormenting her. But the days soon passed and she found herself in Skulduggery's Bentley being driven back to Gordon's.

The trip was silent and, like everything else to her, seemed to take forever. Valkyrie sat quietly in her seat, fidgeting with her fingers, the pregnancy test in her pocket, poking at her side as a constant reminder. She was extremely nervous. Her period had still not started and she was thinking the worse.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief as her dead uncle's mansion came into view. She stepped out of the car and walked toward the house, Skulduggery right behind her. She stood up on the top front step, standing a good few inches above him.

"Well, goodnight," she said, turning to open the door. She felt Skulduggery grab her arm and twist her around to face him.

"Whoa, what's the rush? Don't I get a kiss goodnight?" he asked, smiling. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and smiled as she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She felt him grip her waist, pulling her closer to him. She had made to just give him a kiss goodnight, but she could tell that he wanted more.

All the thoughts about the pregnancy test faded away as she slid her hands down and grabbed his tie, pulling him up the stairs as she backed up into the door. She reached behind her and opened it, pulling him into the house. She broke the kiss and dragged him through the house and up into her room. She swiftly undid his tie and started working on his shirt buttons as he kicked the door shut.

She slid his shirt off, running her hands all across his chest as she leaned up and kissed him, her tongue exploring his mouth. She felt him glide his hands over her chest, making her moan softly while his hands continued down to the bottom of her tunic.

Valkyrie, knowing his intentions, reached down and pulled the piece of clothing up over her head, breaking the kiss only briefly. She felt his cold hands run across her jaw line and down her neck. Valkyrie's hands went to his belt, quickly undoing it and the button on his slacks. She felt him biting her neck and she moaned in pleasure, dragging her fingernails across his chest.

She gently pushed him away and sat down on the end of the bed, bending down to take off her boots and trousers. Skulduggery then tackled her onto her back and she laughed as he began attacking her neck again. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips as she grinned down at him. She intertwined her fingers with his and then leaned down to kiss him, forcing his hands above his head.

Then she heard her name being called from down the hallway. She froze and broke the kiss, her blood running cold as she remembered the duplicate of her uncle's memory she had let roam around while she was away. He must have heard Skulduggery shut her bedroom door.

"Who the hell is that?" Skulduggery asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No one," she hissed, trying to think of a plan, "Just…stay here and be quiet."

She got up off him and grabbed an overlarge shirt that had been discarded on the floor days prior, slipping it over her head. She squeezed through the door, carefully shutting it behind her as to not make another sound and walked down to the study. She pulled back on the untitled book to reveal the secret room behind it. The charger box was sitting on the table with the stone in it, but Echo-Gordon was nowhere to be seen.

"There you are Valkyrie," Gordon called from behind her, making her jump.

"Oh my god Gordon, you almost gave me a heart attack," she gasped, leaning against the wall to try and calm her rapid heart rate.

Gordon smirked triumphantly at his scare of his niece, but it soon turned into a frown as he took in her appearance.

"What have you been doing?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion. Valkyrie looked down at herself and turned beet red.

"Uh…I was…going to take a shower," she replied slowly. Gordon looked at her doubtfully.

"Then why is Skulduggery's Bentley still here? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"You ask too many questions," she said, walking over to the charger box and setting her hand on the lid. Gordon's eyes grew wide with understanding.

"You better not shut that lid! I'm warning you!"

Valkyrie smirked. "And what exactly are you going to do about it? You can't really do anything to me."

Gordon opened his mouth as to argue back, but he stopped as he realized that she was right. He looked away in defeat, then shook his head and turned back to her.

""As your uncle, I demand that you tell me what is going on!" Valkyrie glared at him.

"First off, you're not really my uncle. You're just a replica of my dead uncle's memory that just happens to haunt me. Now, if you don't mind, I have other things to attend to." Gordon pointed a stubby finger at her.

"Valkyrie I-," but she shut the lid of the box, cutting him off as his body quickly vanished. Valkyrie sighed. She was going to have to apologize later to him, if he would still be willing to listen to her. She walked back to her room to find Skulduggery leaning against the wall with his pants on and his arms folded across his chest.

"An Echo Stone," he stated, "Why didn't you tell me?" She sighed and leaned back on the door, shutting it.

"Because he told me not to tell," she muttered softly, looking down at the floor, "Believe me, I wanted to tell you."

"How long have you known?"

"A couple years now."

"Does he know about us?"

"No."

Skulduggery walked over to her, picking up his stuff off the floor on the way.

"I should probably go before I get us into anymore trouble," he said, pulling his shirt on and draping the rest of his clothes over his arm. Valkyrie nodded and opened her bedroom door.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow so we can go to the Sanctuary." She nodded again and kissed him gently.

"Goodnight," she muttered, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight Valkyrie," he whispered into her hair, and then left swiftly.

She leaned back on the door, shutting it with a soft click. She looked down at the array of clothing on the floor and saw the pregnancy test sticking out of her recently flung off pants pocket. She walked over and picked it up, remembering the promise she made to herself.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself as she walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Valkyrie was leaning over the bathroom sink, her knuckles white from gripping the counter so hard. She willed herself not to look at the slim, white stick dangling precariously over the edge of the counter.

The wait was killing her, slowly driving her mad. She felt as though she had been standing there for hours, listening to every second tick by slowly. Another second closer to the turning point of her life. The outcome of this test would change her whole future and that thought of her world turning upside down started to make her stomach turn. Valkyrie feared that when Skulduggery came to get her tomorrow, there would be more to talk about than work.

A faint beep interrupted her thoughts. She let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding and opened her eyes, then slowly leaned over to look at the small screen. Her face went flush as her fears were confirmed when she saw the small, positive sign flashing at her.

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Yay, another chapter here and done...though I am sorry to say that the next chapter might take a while...


	5. I'm Pregnant

"We have to go back?"

"They have asked for you personally and request that you come immediately."

Valkyrie sat in Guild's office, watching Skulduggery pace back and forth, fuming. Guild was sitting at his desk, watching the detective with a wary eye. Crux stood blocking the doorway, his arms folded across his chest and his non-existent chin was thrust out as if proud of himself.

Skulduggery stopped in front of Guild's desk. "So let me get this straight, we have to go back to the island to take care of a vampire problem?" Guild nodded slowly.

"Then why the hell are they asking as now?" he yelled, flinging his arms up in frustration, "We just got back!" Guild continued to glare at Skulduggery.

"If I am not mistaken detective," he said coldly, "It took you two weeks to get back here which you still haven't told me the reason for. So I suggest you be careful what you say or you and Miss Cain here," Guild shot her a threatening glare, "will be out of a job again." Skulduggery tapped his foot impatiently.

"Do they not have anyone over there to help them?" he asked sourly. Guild scowled at him.

"They were pleased with the result of your last mission up there and request your assistance again. It's not a matter of lack of staff, but the quality of the work performed which you, some how, seemed to fulfill."

Guild stood up and walked over to stand in front of Skulduggery. "Now detective, I suggest you leave and start packing. They would like you there by the end of the week. You will also have to arrange where you will be staying."

Skulduggery was silent, just glaring at Guild darkly from under the brim of his hat.

"Fine," he said harshly, "We'll be gone by the end of the week. Come on Valkyrie." He turned swiftly and walked over to the door.

Valkyrie stood up and followed him out as Crux opened the door, Skulduggery passing swiftly by him. Valkyrie made sure to give Crux a menacing glare as she came up to him.

"Good luck Cain," Crux sneered as she walked by and shut the door softly behind her.

Valkyrie followed Skulduggery as he walked into Gordon's and promptly sat on one of the couches.

"I can't believe they did that to us," he said darkly. Valkyrie leaned back on the front door, her mind racing at a million miles per hour.

Not only did she have to go back to the island to fight off vampires, but she had to do it with a child growing in her. The thought made her nauseous.

She was also scared to tell him, seeing as how he was fuming to begin with. She figured she would have to try and calm him down first before she told him.

She walked over behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

"We can handle it," she said softly, trying to keep her own fear out of her voice. She leaned over and began gently kissing his neck and felt his muscles relax.

"What are you playing at?" he asked. Valkyrie froze and sat up a bit.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Skulduggery stood up and turned to face her.

"I can tell something's wrong," he said, folding his arms across his chest, "You always try to divert the topic away from what's bothering you." Valkyrie began fidgeting with her fingers.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, looking down at the floor. Skulduggery raised an eyebrow at her.

"Valkyrie, what is going on?" he asked, walking over to her, "You haven't been yourself lately." Valkyrie could feel the tears stinging in the corner of her eyes

"Have you ever thought of having a second chance?" she asked softly, the tears now slowly streaming down her face, "You know, a second chance at having a family again?" Skulduggery continued to look puzzled.

"Why do you ask? What's going on?" Valkyrie gave a half-hearted laugh, the tears still flowing.

"I don't know what we did, but we did it," she said, pacing back and forth. She stopped in front of Skulduggery, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Skul," she started, "I'm pregnant."

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I am so sorry this took so long...softball and school have been nothing but a pain in my rump, but this is my last week of softball so maybe it will get better...maybe. I have the next chapter written and I am typing it out today, but I don't think I will be able to have it up by tomorrow due to a district softball game tomorrow, but I will try my best. As of now, I bid you all farewell...


	6. A Little Surprise

Skulduggery stared wide-eyed at her.

"What?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief. Valkyrie took another deep breath.

"I'm…pregnant," she stated again slowly, her voice fading out. He shook his head.

"How is that possible?" he asked. Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"It's not exactly rocket science, Skul," she said. He shook his head again.

"No, I understand that part. What I mean is, I can't…do that, it's just not possible."

"Skulduggery," Valkyrie started, "You said so yourself it was possible. All you said it took was just a little more effort to get you to do that and apparently, we did that."

"But still, how can that be? I'm dead. None of my organs function, none of them!"

The sheer look of confusion with the hint of worry and fear on his face sent Valkyrie's mind flying. All at once, she thought of every negative idea that Skulduggery could be having. She walked over to the couch and sat down, burying her face in her hands with the tears leaking from her eyes again.

"I can't do this, I just can't," she muttered into her hands. Skulduggery came over to the couch and knelt down in front of her.

"Hey, it's ok Valkyrie," he said, taking her hands and wiping away the escaped tears, "It's actually great." Valkyrie looked up at him.

"Wh-What?" she choked out, not believing what her ears were telling her.

"It's just like you said, I get a second chance and you know what the best part is?"

"What?" Valkyrie asked timidly. Skulduggery smiled.

"I get to have this second chance with you." Valkyrie gave a weak smile, her eyes welling back up with tears.

"You're such a goon," she muttered as she hugged him tight.

"But you love it," he said, rubbing her back gently. Valkyrie pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Yes, she said, "I do." Skulduggery smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry about it," he said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "I've been through this before and I will be with you every step of the way." Valkyrie smiled, but it soon turned into a frown.

"What about the case?" she asked, worry plastering her face, "If Crux and Guild ever found out, our jobs would be gone for good and that would not be good at a time like this. And what about Tanith and Ghastly and everyone else? What about my parents? What are-." Skulduggery put a hand over her mouth.

"Just relax," he said, "Everything will be fine. We can handle the case, just the same as any other case, we'll just have to be a bit more careful. And nobody has to know yet. We'll wait it out a bit and tell everyone when the time is right. As for the matter of your parents, I think we should go see them."

"What?"

"I don't mean tell them, I just mean we should go see them, you know, as a couple."

"But they'll know!" Valkyrie stressed, "They'll find out! Especially if we just show up out of the blue."

"Valkyrie."

"My parents might not be the brightest people ever, but they have their way of knowing things. They'll see right through it-"

"Valkyrie."

"-then we'll be in HUGE trouble! And just to remind you, my mom has been pregnant before and she'll know as soon as she sees me! She'll-"

"Valkyrie!"

She stopped mid-rant to stare at Skulduggery who was holding down her flailing arms.

"Just relax," he said calmly, "They won't find out, I promise you. You've kept pretty much your whole life from your parents since you were 12. You can handle. We'll just go for a quick visit and then leave. We'll break the ice so when they do find out, it won't be as shocking." Valkyrie let go a breath of relief.

"Ok," she muttered, relaxing a bit, "I'll do it." Skulduggery smiled and looked up at the clock.

"I should probably get going." He turned back to Valkyrie. "Are you going to be alright?" She nodded and stood up.

"I'll be fine," she said. He nodded and kissed her gently.

"If you need anything call me, ok?" he said, hugging her. She nodded again and clung tight to him.

"I love you Skul," she muttered into his chest. He gently rubbed her back.

"I love you too Val," he said. He kissed her again and slowly let his hands glide around to her stomach. They lingered there for a second, but he swiftly withdrew them and left.

She slowly walked up the stairs into the study and opened the charger box, releasing her fuming phantom uncle. She ignored his angry rant and sat on the window seat, watching the starting rain softly land on the window and scatter the red back-lights of the Bentley. She looked down at her stomach and delicately slid a hand over it, her mind telling her to be mindful of the little surprise inside of her.

'I sure hope we know what we're getting into,' she thought as Skulduggery started up the car and slowly drove off into the darkness.

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Sorry it took so long...my English teacher thought that it would be funny to drop three essays on me during the weekend...not fun...  
Well, here it is! Though it feels to me that my chapters keep getting shorter and less exciting, or is that what is really happening?


	7. Adding Memories

Valkyrie took a deep breath as she faced her parent's front door.

"I can't do this Skul," she said, her breathing pace picking up. She felt Skulduggery hug her from behind and softly kiss her cheek.

"Don't worry," he said reassuringly, "It will be fine. At least I think it should turn out better than when I told Ghastly." Valkyrie whipped around to face him.

"You told him?" she hissed. Skulduggery held his hands up in defense.

"I had to tell him sooner or later, and I figured sooner would be better than later." She shook her head in frustration.

"What exactly did you tell him?" Skulduggery looked away.

"That we were…together now," he replied slowly. Valkyrie glared at him. He was hiding something.

"Ok, let me rephrase that: What does he know?" Skulduggery hesitated.

"He knows…that…you're…pregnant," he mumbled, hanging his head lower with each word. Valkyrie bit her lip, feeling like she was going to cry.

"I haven't even told Tanith yet," she choked out.

"I'm pretty sure Tanith knows by now," Skulduggery said. Valkyrie shot him a threatening glare, her eyes flashing. Skulduggery backed off, looking down at the ground. She took another deep breath and faced the door again.

"Lets just get this over with," she said, then softly knocked on the door. Valkyrie's stomach suddenly twisted in knots of fear and her mouth became as dry as paper as they waited in silence.

The door suddenly opened and Valkyrie saw her mother smiling at her. She felt light-headed.

"Hi mum," she said. She smiled weakly and her vision suddenly faded to black.

~.~.~

Valkyrie slowly opened her eyes to blinding light and blurry vision. She blinked rapidly, her vision focusing more. She found she was laying on the couch with Skulduggery kneeling next to her, his hand on her forehead, her mother leaning over her, holding her hand, and her father standing next to her mother. Valkyrie moaned, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Are you alright dear?" her mother asked, a look of worry on her face. Valkyrie moaned again.

"I'm fine," she croaked out. She brought her free hand up to Skulduggery's on her forehead and gave it a reassuring squeeze, then proceeded to sit up.

"Are you sure you're alright?" her mother asked, "Have you been feeling ok? Is everything alright?" Valkyrie took her hand back and rubbed her temples.

"Everything is fine mum," she said. Her mother nodded and straightened up.

"I'll go make you some tea," she said, walking into the kitchen, "Come help me Desmond." He followed her into the kitchen and Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie.

"You pull another stunt like that, then they will find out," he whispered just enough for her to hear.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I told you I wasn't ready to do this. I was just in…shock." Skulduggery tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.

"At least you're alright," he said softly, kissing her forehead, then he smiled, "Though you have developed a thing for fainting now, haven't you?" Valkyrie smiled too.

"Kind of like when you first saved me," she murmured, turning to face him, her nose gently brushing his, "It's almost like I was falling for you from the very beginning." Skulduggery chuckled and kissed her softly.

The sound of someone clearing their throat startled them and they broke apart. Valkyrie's face turned deep red as she saw her parents had come back into the living room. Her mother handed her a cup of tea and Valkyrie gingerly took a sip.

"Thanks," she muttered, embarrassed. Her mother sat down across from her while her dad stood next to her mother.

"I'm guessing that you have something to tell us," she said. Valkyrie glanced over at Skulduggery for support, but he just nodded toward her mother. She glared at him and turned back to her mother.

"Yes," she said slowly, "I have something to tell you." She licked her dry lips and continued. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, but I wanted to make sure that it was serious first."

Valkyrie swallowed hard, her throat becoming dry again. She never thought that telling her parents she had a boyfriend would be so hard. If this was bad, she did NOT want to tell them she was pregnant with his baby. She took a deep breath and mustered up all her courage.

"This is my…boyfriend…" She stopped. She couldn't say Skulduggery, then her parents would remember him from Gordon's funeral and then they would be in deep trouble. Then what would they do? What would-

"Lorcan," Skulduggery said suddenly, making Valkyrie jump. She turned and looked at him dumbly.

"Lorcan Connell," he continued. Valkyrie blinked a few times and opened her mouth a bit.

"Right," she said slowly, finding her voice, "Lorcan." Her mother smiled kindly at him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Lorcan," her mother said sweetly.

"As is you, Mrs. Edgerly," he said. She smiled.

"It's so nice that Stephanie finally has someone in her life." Valkyrie blushed and hid behind Skulduggery. "So how long have you two been together?"

"A couple years now," he replied.

"How come you didn't tell us?" her dad asked, eyeing Skulduggery.

"We wanted to make sure we were serious first," Valkyrie said, shooting Skulduggery a worried glance. She has lied to her parents before, but she felt that this was ridiculous. They were silent for a while.

"Well, I insist you stay for dinner," her mother said. Valkyrie's face lit up with fear.

"No mum, really we can't-."

"Oh, but I insist," her mother said, standing up, "Would you help me in the kitchen dear?" Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery for support, but he just nodded in her mother's direction. She glared at him and got up.

"Lorcan, do you think you could help Desmond set the table to make sure that he doesn't forget anything." Skulduggery nodded and stood up.

"I would love to," he said. Valkyrie shook her head at him and followed her mom into the kitchen.

"So much for a quick visit," she muttered.

~.~.~

The rest of dinner didn't go so bad. Valkyrie helped her mother cook while Skulduggery and her dad talked in the dining room. They seemed to had been getting on pretty good, though when they sat to eat dinner, Valkyrie thought her dad seemed upset.

None-the-less, dinner went smoothly and Valkyrie soon bid her parents goodbye and her and Skulduggery were walking back to the Bentley down at the pier.

"What did you tell my dad?" Valkyrie asked as they neared the pier.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she said, walking out toward the water, "He seemed quite upset during dinner." Skulduggery shrugged.

"Probably realization that his little girl is growing up." Valkyrie stopped at the water's edge, looked down and sighed.

"I suppose so," she muttered, watching the full moon dance across the lapping water. She remained silent, enjoying the relaxing scene before her. The cool air lapped at her face, bringing in memories from when she was younger.

"I miss this place," she muttered, kicking a stone off the pier into the water, "Swimming, meeting you, being chased by vampires." She smiled.

"Those memories don't have to stop," Skulduggery said, walking up beside her, "We can just add to them." With that, he began removing his tie. Valkyrie's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, looking around to see if there was anyone watching. He started unbuttoning his shirt and looked at her.

"Going swimming," he said, like it was obvious.

"Are you serious?" Skulduggery smirked.

"I'm dead serious." He took his shirt and tie off and set them on the ground. "There is one condition though." Valkyrie raised an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?" Skulduggery smiled.

"You have to go first."

Valkyrie let out a small yelp as she felt the soft wall of air that hit her back, sending her into the dark waters below. Her head broke back through the surface and she spit out a mouth full of water. She glared at him as she watched him step out onto the water and walk toward her.

"See?" he said, "Adding memories." Valkyrie sneered at him.

"Yeah, now it's time to add you," she said as she reached up and grabbed his ankle, breaking his concentration and causing him to fall into the water.

She smiled at her triumph and waited for him to resurface so she could rub it in his face, but he never did. She frantically looked around, softly calling out his name, but he still didn't surface.

The next thing she knew, she was being lifted out of the water and thrown back in. Her head broke back through the surface to stare menacingly at Skulduggery, who was smiling like a goofy idiot. She splashed him, then swam over to him, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him gently.

"You think we can come back here more often, when the…" She bit her lip and glanced down at her stomach.

"I don't see why not," he said, "We could make it a family thing." Valkyrie smiled and laid her head on his chest.

"I think I like that."

* * *

So what do you think? I personally enjoyed this chapter, especially the ending and I have more little tricks up my sleeve like this one. Let's just hope they turn out as nice as this one did! ^^


	8. Names, Vampires, and Irish Sex Talk

I am soooooooo sorry that this took so long to do. I have been dreafully busy and can't to keep my mind focused for more than 5 seconds...But enough of my lame excuses...

I also apologize ahead of time for this chapter...I do NOT like it, and if anyone has any suggestions on how to make it better, I am all ears! Thanks! ^^

Also, I would like to apologize for mt Irish. I don't know how well it is and some words I couldn't even find...but a cookie to whoever can figure out what they are saying! ^^

* * *

Valkyrie stood in the Maplewood room of the Stonecliffe Mansion, sorting through her bag of clothes while Skulduggery lay out of the bed. Skulduggery said he made some sort of deal with Mr. Bacon to let them stay as long as they needed and have the room of their choice, though Skulduggery wouldn't tell her what the deal exactly was.

Valkyrie had also talked to Tanith before they left and Skulduggery had been right, Ghastly had told Tanith everything. When Valkyrie showed up at Tanith's apartment, Valkyrie got an earful. But when she finally calmed Tanith down, she convinced her that she was in love with Skulduggery and this is what she wanted. She even got Tanith wanting to do a baby shower.

Valkyrie sighed as she gave up on her clothes and laid down on the bed next to Skulduggery. She let her mind wander before a thought popped into her mind.

"Skulduggery?" Valkyrie asked, her hand gently grazing over her stomach.

"Hmm?"

"How does this name thing work?" He sat up and looked over at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked. She hesitated.

"I mean, like when this baby is born, what would its last name be, or in a marriage, the last name, how would that work?" Skulduggery ran his hand through his hair.

"Well, in our case, it would work like a normal mortal family. We would use our given names and keep our taken names the same." He slid a hand over her stomach. "When this baby is born, we will give it a name, it's given name, and when it gets older, it will choose it's own taken name." Valkyrie was silent for a while as she slid her hand over Skulduggery's.

"That was your name wasn't it?" she asked suddenly. Skulduggery raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Valkyrie turned on her side to face him.

"Lorcan," she replied, "The name you used for my parents, that's your given name." He hesitated.

"Yes," he said slowly, "it is." Valkyrie smiled.

"So, the great Skulduggery Pleasant's name is Lorcan Connell ." She bit her lip and cocked her head. "I like it." Skulduggery sighed and laid back down on his back.

"Seems only fair," he mumbled, "I knew yours now you know mine, plus, given the circamtances," Valkyrie wrinkled up her nose.

"That doesn't sound like the Skulduggery I know," she stated firmly, "The Skulduggery I know would not use something like that so recklessly, what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. I simply thought that I was doing right in telling your parents my name. I couldn't use Skulduggery because that would have surely remembered me from the reading of Gordon's will I needed something simple and easy to remember in the case that I should have to use it again and what's easier to remember than your own name?"

"Why tell now though? What made that moment so special? Why didn't you tell me first?" Skulduggery cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You ask a lot of questions." Valkyrie shrugged.

"I'm a detective," she said, "it's what I do." Skulduggery smiled.

"I guess I'm a pretty good teacher then," he said smugly. Valkyrie slapped his stomach.

"Leave your overly large ego out of this and tell me before I make you tell me." Skulduggery smiled coyly.

"I'm almost interested to see you make me." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Stop thinking below your belt for once and tell me." Her voice got softer. "Seriously, did you not trust me?" Skulduggery's smiled dropped and he flipped on his side to face her.

"No, nothing like that, Val," he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek," I just...was waiting for the right moment to tell."

"But why my parents? Why was that the right moment?" Skulduggery just smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I have my reasons," he said, winking at her. Valkyrie groaned and stood up, turning to face him with her arms folded across her chest.

"You are so...difficult. Did you know that?" Skulduggery just chuckled softly. Valkyrie sighed, rolling her eyes and turned back to her bag of clothing.

"So, tell me more about this vampire problem." Skulduggery leaned back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head.

"Well, apparently there's a couple of vampires loose up here somewhere on the island and are creating mayhem by infecting tourists. They want us to find these vampires before they turn the whole island into their own army of infected." Valkyrie snorted.

"Just sounds like a couple of idiot vampires thinking that they can take over the world one island at a time." She sighed and plopped down on the bed again. "Why do they always pick us for the stupid cases?" Skulduggery just shrugged.

"I don't know, but it makes my job a whole lot easier which means more time I get to spend with you." He smiled and kissed her forehead while she rolled her eyes. She then smiled as she a thought popped into her head.

"Hey Skulduggery, do you know Irish? You know, old Galiec?" Skulduggery looked at her strangely.

"I know a fair bit amount," he said, "Why do you ask?"

"To see if you understand this." She leaned over him and whispered in his ear: "Me' want your tarnocht druim pressed against liome e'." Skulduggery stared wide-eyed at her.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked. Valkyrie smiled as she stood up.

"I took a year of Irish in school, well, the reflection did, I just picked it up." Skulduggery shook his head.

"I whole year of Irish and all you can recite is Irish sex talk?"

"Hey I know other things," she countered as she climbed over top of him and ran her fingers through his hair, "Besides, I can't be that bad, you knew it too." Skulduggery smiled.

"Your right," he said, "So here's one back at you." He held her waist tight, pulling her close to him and whispered softly in her ear: "Me' want to de'anaim gra' to you uilig o'rche fada." Valkyrie smiled and pressed her forehead to his.

"I think I like that idea," she whispered, then gripped the back of his head and crushed her lips to his.


	9. My Second Chance

"Oh come off it, you enjoyed yourself and you know it. Besides, you can't tell me you enjoy walking without your disguise on.

"I'll admit, it's quite nice to be able to do that, but I still don't see the joy of walking around in a crowded area full of people to look at shops full of sugarized candy." Valkyrie rolled her eyes as she stuck a piece of salt water taffy into her mouth and stode the rest in her jacket pocket.

"It's what makes me so sweet," she countered through her mouthful of taffy.

"Sweet indeed," he replied sarcastically.

Valkyrie had dragged Skulduggery downtown for the day, pulling him around to all the different shops. She had convinced him that they needed to scope out the surrounding area to look for anything out of the ordinary, but in actuality, she had just wanted to spend some quality time with her guy, enjoy walking around in the open.

Skulduggery sighed and shook his head.

"You know what I like best about it though?" he asked, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He grabbed her hand and pulled her into him, gently kissing her on the lips.

"I can do that without being judged," he said. Valkyrie smiled.

"It is nice, isn't it?" she said, snaking her arms around his neck, entangling her fingers in his hair, "I think I like it the best too."

She kissed him harshly as he gripped her waist tightly. He then growled angrily in her mouth and pulled away.

"I still wish you would have worn your protective clothing," he mumbled. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and walked away from him.

"I'm fine Skulduggery," she said bluntly, looking down at her sneakers, blue jeans, t-shirt, and jacket, "I can't be wearing the same thing everyday. Besides, it's the middle of the day, nothing's going to happen to me."

"That's where your wrong."

Valkyrie turned around to see who had spoken, but met a fist instead, right in the jaw. She held her jaw, dropping to the ground, her vision momentarily fading to black. When her vision came back, she looked up to see Skulduggery struggling with a dark brown haired man wearing brown slacks that had seen better days and a white dress shirt that had been painted red with what Valkyrie guessed was human blood.

No sooner had she taken in the man's appearance, then a strong arm wrapped tight around her neck, lifting her in the air.

"Where do you think you're going girly?" a slippery voice hissed in her ear. She kicked out at the man holding her, her foot quickly making contact between his legs. He cried out in pain, dropping Valkyrie and doubling over to the ground.

Valkyrie turned to see her capture and saw a skinny man hunched over on the ground, dressed in a black suit, his long black greasy hair just covering his eyes, making the deathly pale whiteness of his skin even whiter.

He looked up at her with dark, bloodshot eyes, his cold menacing glare making her heart stop and her blood run cold.

"Get her," he hissed through gritted teeth and Valkyrie yelped as she saw three Infected come darting out from the woods behind him.

She sent a wall of air blasting at a female Infected, sending her flying into the trunk of a tree. The other two males continued to advance at her, despite seeing their comrade flung against a tree. Valkyrie hurried to her feet and propelled herself into a tree, dangling from a high branch.

The Infected stared up at her, confused on where their prey had gone to.

"Don't just stand there! Bring her down here!" the black haired man yelled. The Infected then started growling up at her.

Valkyrie pulled herself up onto the branch as the Infected tried to climb the thick trunk of the tree.

"Hey Skulduggery," Valkyrie called out, trying to balance herself, "A little help?"

"One second," he hissed as he set fire to the brown haired vampire's shirt, causing him to run around in a frantic to try and put out his blazing shirt. Skulduggery turned and sent a wall of air at the Infected, sending all three deep into the forest.

Valkyrie felt the air wave hit the tree, causing her to lose her footing. She faltered and stepped back to regain herself, only to hear a definite cracking noise as she put weight down on her foot.

He stomach dropped as she realized the branch was breaking, no longer able to support her weight. She frantically looked around for an escape route as the branch continued to crack and shudder. She spotted a branch above her and, just as the breaking branch gave one last loud crack, she reached up and hung from the branch as the one she had been standing on moments before fell to the ground.

"No more fudge for me," she muttered to herself as the branch hit the ground. She watched the brown haired vampire, his face smudged with the blackened remains of his shirt, run up behind Skulduggery and grabbed him around the neck.

Skulduggery just grabbed his arm and flung him into the trunk of the tree, shaking it violently. Valkyrie felt her the branch vibrate beneath her already sore fingers.

"Stop hitting the tree!" she yelled. Skulduggery looked up at her and tilted his head.

"Sorry," he said, then punched the vampire square in the nose. Valkyrie growled then looked down at the ground below her and let go of the branch. She buffered her jump, landing softly on the ground.

"Your blood is going to spill right here and now!" Valkyrie whipped around to see the black haired vampire holding his face in his hand, blood trickling down between his fingers. He took his hand away and Valkyrie saw a long, bloody gash down the side of his face. Apparently the branch the branch that fell to the ground had a few smaller branches on it that side swiped his face on the way down.

The vampire bolted at her and Valkyrie took off running up the path. She didn't get far before she fell to the ground, the contents of her pockets spilling out. In a hurried frantic, she grabbed the nearest object and thrust it into the vampires mouth as he leaned down to grab her.

He flew back in surprise and Valkyrie watched in disbelief as he wrapped his hands around his neck and started choking. His face started turning purple and he fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. Valkyrie looked down at the ground at the items from her pocket to see what she had picked up and saw the salt water taffy scattered across the ground that she had stashed in her pocket earlier.

Salt water.

Valkyrie looked back up at the vampire, watching as he went down on all fours, his body shaking from the lack of oxygen. His body gave one last violent shudder, then collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

The other vampire had stopped to watch the whole ordeal and when he saw his companion drop dead, he looked up at Valkyrie, the fear clear in his eyes, and took off in a dead sprint through the woods.

Skulduggery watched him run, then walked over to Valkyrie and helped her to her feet.

"Are you ok?" he asked, looking for any injures. Valkyrie nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She looked over at the dead vampire. "Who were they?" she asked. Skulduggery walked over to him and gently poked him in the side with his shoe.

"This one is _ Black. He is a notorious vampire that is wanted by almost all of the Sanctuary's and is a big leader among the vampires, almost like Dusk, but bigger. The other one I don't know. Perhaps a minion, someone sent to do the dirty work. Whoever he was, he ran back to whoever's in charge." Valkyrie looked at him.

"You don't think Black was in charge?" Skulduggery shook his head.

"No. If Black was in charge he would have wanted us dead, he would have sent someone else to do his dirty work. He's the type of person who doesn't like to get his hands dirty." Skulduggery paused and knelt down by the body. "No. Whoever sent them wanted them to capture us, not kill us, and they sent Black here to make sure the job was done right. However," he picked up a stray piece of salt water taffy, "they didn't plan on you having salt water so close at hand, with us being surrounded by fresh water."

He picked up the rest of the candy and handed it to Valkyrie.

"Best to keep those close at hand now. I suspect we'll be getting another visit soon." Valkyrie shoved the candy back into her pocket.

"See Skul? Candy isn't just sweet, it can also save your life." Skulduggery rolled his eyes and took out his phone.

"Yeah and so can your protective clothing," he said before greeting the Administrator of the American Sanctuary.

"Alright! I'll wear it from now on!" she yelled, throwing her arms in defeat, "But only the jacket!" Skulduggery just smiled.

~.~.~

The Sanctuary said they would send someone later to pick up the body, so Skulduggery said they would hide the body away as to not cause suspicion, which resulted in them dragging the body off the path and hiding it behind the fallen branch and topped with a few dead leaves.

They arrived back at Stonecliffe around five where Valkyrie spent the rest of the day in the lounge reading until Skulduggery asked her if she wanted to go for a walk with him.

So now she was walking down a random road, Skulduggery's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, in the middle of the night. It wasn't completely dark out though. The crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting a bright light down to light their pathway. They walked a little farther before Valkyrie's curiosity got the better of her.

"Skulduggery where are we going?" Skulduggery just smiled and kissed her forehead gently.

"I want to show you something," he said, squeezing her gently.

"But what? Where are we going?" He smiled.

"Just trust me," he said. Valkyrie sighed and leaned into him, knowing he wouldn't give in. They continued walking and Valkyrie just decided to take in the scenery.

They walked by the Governor's Mansion (according to the sign) which Valkyrie thought, compared to her uncle's, hardly looked like a mansion at all. They then turned left, passing a gate that said: "NO BICYCLES; FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY."

Valkyrie had heard some of the girls that worked on the island talk about this particular pathway. The road's name was Fort Hill, which made sense because it was going downhill right next to Fort Mackinac, but she had heard the girls calling it "Killer Hill", though she didn't know why. She guessed she would just have to ask one of them..

They walked by some official looking buildings and soon came up beside the entrance to Fort Mackinac. Valkyrie gazed upon the tall white walls, shining brightly in the moonlight. She thought it looked quite extravagant, wishing that perhaps she would b able to explore the fort.

They walked by and turned down a path that really didn't seem like a path for tourists to follow.

"Skulduggery, are you sure were allowed to be back here?" she asked as they passed more office buildings and a beautiful white gazebo.

"Of course we are. I give it that this place is not well known, but I guess that might be why I like it so much." He stopped and turned to face her.

"Close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me." Valkyrie sighed.

"Alright," she said, "I trust you."

She closed her eyes and felt Skulduggery pull her hands, guiding her down the path. He lead her over rocks and tree roots until he suddenly stopped her. She felt him drop her hands and walk around behind her.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now," he said as he slipped his arms around her waist from behind.

Valkyrie opened her eyes, and what she saw was breath taking. She was looking out over the town, the night lights making it glow. The Mackinac Bridge was also lit up, looking like a strand of Christmas lights dangling off in the distance.

"It's…beautiful," Valkyrie whispered, as if not to disturb the serene scene before her.

"Yeah well, it's not as beautiful as you," he said, gently kissing the nap in her neck. Valkyrie felt her face burn.

They stood there in the silence, watching and listening to the beauty of the city's night, until Skulduggery decided to break it.

"Valkyrie, listen. First I want to apologize for all that has happened."

"Skul-."

"Let me finish." Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"As I was saying, I'm sorry about putting you through all of this and that I have completely changed your life, but I want to make it right. I want to try and make better my mistakes. I know I'm not the best person in the world-."

Valkyrie turned around and kissed him fully on the mouth, completely shutting him up. She slid her hand behind his head, deepening the kiss. She broke away and smiled at Skulduggery's dazed look.

"I forgot what I was saying," he mumbled. Valkyrie laughed.

"I'm sure it was a brilliant speech," she said, "but for now just stop talking. Remember, we're a team. We are in this together, so don't put all the blame on yourself. I chose this life and you only helped me along." She kissed him again and spun back around. Skulduggery took a second to recollect himself, then chuckled.

"Well since you made me lose my train of thought, you might as well have this now being we are on the topic of teams."

Valkyrie felt one of his arms slip away from around her waist.

"Remember that deal I made with Mr. Bacon and when you asked me about your dad's behavior?" Valkyrie raised on eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Well this will answer those questions."

His arm then reappeared with a small box in his hand.

"Here. Open it."

"Skul, what is this?" she asked as she gingerly took the bow from his hand.

"In using her own words, just stop talking and open it." Valkyrie scowled at having her own words used against her, but her curiosity got the better of her as she took the lid off the box reveal a small velvet red ring box.

"Skul-"

"Just open it," he said. She rolled her eyes and opened the box.

She gasped as she saw a small diamond ring embedded within the pillow of the box. It had a small diamond heart in the center with little silver roses on either side of it, each encrested with it's own diamond in the center. A simple vine design along with a single leaf were engraved on eiher side of the roses, all on a slender silver band.

"Skul," Valkyrie whispered, "Is this-"

"Yes," he said, "It is."

Valkyrie felt her heart burst in her chest as tears began to well up in her eyes. She couldn't believe it, she never even imagined it.

"Take it out."

Valkyrie looked up at him with a blank stare, her mind incapable of thought.

"Huh?" she breathed. Skulduggery smiled.

"The ring," he said, "Take it out."

Valkyrie mind-numbingly took the ring out of its pillow and saw the words "_My Second Chance_" in scriptive writing engraved on the inside of the ring.

"I don't know if it's really appropriate, but it's true. You are my beautiful second chance. You have made my so called life worth living and I want to spend the rest of it with you. I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you be my second chance Valkyrie? Will you marry me?"

Valkyrie turned to face him, tears streaming down her her face. Skulduggery looked worried.

"Valkyrie? Are you ok?" Valkyrie smiled and flung her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"I'm perfectly fine! I'm better than fine!" She kissed him harshly, her tongue forcing its way into his mouth while she dragged her fingers through his hair. She didn't pull away until she felt her lungs scream for air. She then laid her head on his chest, gripping his shirt to help keep her upright. Skulduggery held her tightly to him, lightly running his fingers through her hair.

"Of course I'll marry you," she whispered, hugging him tightly, "I couldn't it any other way." She looked watery-eyed up at him and Skulduggery wiped away her tears that had escaped.

"I had asked your dad for his blessing, that's why he was upset that day at dinner," Skulduggery said, taking the ring from her and twirling it between his fingers. "I must admit he wasn't to keen on the idea, with having just met me, but he did come around eventually."

He picked up her hand and slid the ring on her finger. "I made a deal with Mr. Bacon that we would stay in his hotel for the length of this case if he would host our wedding there and he would also have customers for life."

He gently pulled her back into him and kissed her softly on the lips. Valkyrie melted into him, then made a face and pulled away as her pessimistic side kicked in.

"Are you sure about this Skul?" she asked, "I mean, we have literally been together for a little less than three weeks and what about our jobs? And everybody else? And..." she choked and looked away, not wanting to hear the answer, "you're not doing this because you got me pregnant, are you?" Skulduggery's face dropped.

"No Valkyrie of course not! In fact, I bought this ring before I even knew you were pregnant." Valkyrie looked up at him.

"You did?" Skulduggery nodded.

"Remember when we were in New York and I said I had some business to finish?" Valkyrie nodded. "This is what I was doing. I went out and bought you this. I had already had plans to propose to you, then you kind of threw me a curve ball when you told me you were pregnant."

Valkyrie smiled weakly, then frowned again.

"Wait a minute," she said.

"What?" Skulduggery asked, confused.

"When are we going to get married?" Skulduggery gave a worried look.

"What do you mean?" Valkyrie just looked at him.

"You know what I mean," she said, "It's just that with the baby on the way, it sort of complicates things."

"About that..." Skulduggery mumbled, looking away.

"Skul," Valkyrie warned, knowing he was hiding something from her.

"Well," he started, "I have arranged that we our getting married in a month..."

"A month?" Valkyrie exclaimed, "Are you serious?"

"Well it's actually more like a couple weeks…"

"Skulduggery?" Valkyrie squealed, "It's not possible for us to be married in a couple of weeks!"

"Relax!" Skulduggery said, holding her still, "I have it all under control. Trust me." Valkyrie took a deep breath.

"I guess…" Valkyrie paused with a slightly frightened look on her face.

"What's the matter?" Skulduggery asked with concern.

"What about my pregnancy? How our we going to work this out?" Skulduggery smiled and leaned down toward her ear.

"You can say you got pregnant during the honeymoon," he whispered in her ear, "You'll only be a month along. No one will be the wiser."

"If you say so," she mumbled.

"It will be fine Valkyrie, we will tell them together; I'll be there for you." Valkyrie smiled.

"Thank you Skul," she whispered, burying her face in his shirt, hugging him tight, "Or should I say Lorcan." Skulduggery smiled.

"I guess so Mrs. Stephanie Connell," he countered, kissing her cheek, "We should head back to the mansion and try and get some sleep because I think it will be hard to come by in the next few weeks."

Valkyrie smiled as she played with the buttons on his shirt.

"If we get any sleep at all tonight," she muttered.


	10. Smiling

__

_Conan Ceallach's task was simple: grab the girl and run. Or at least he thought it was simple before he watched Black choke to death. So Ceallach just decided to run. Run as fast as he could back to the hideout. Of course his boss was going to kill him when he found out he had failed at his mission, Ceallach thought dieing swiftly by his bosses hand was better than choking to death by salt water._

_Ceallach burst into the hideout, gasping for air. He heard footsteps behind him and looked to see the three Infected that he and Black had taken with them had followed him back._

_'Huh. I guess they think I'm the boss now that Black is dead,' he thought, almost smiling to himself. Never was he considered one of the "big dogs", his name was proof of that._

_"So you came back empty handed Ceallach?"_

_Ceallach looked to where a tall man stood off in the shadows, looking out the window._

_"Black's dead," Ceallach said, trying to gain some ground back, "The girl had salt water on her."_

_"That should be no excuse to not complete your task."_

_"But-."_

_"Do not try to make excuses for your incompetence. You failed."_

_"But that dead man was there too! He was helping her-."_

_"Enough!" the man yelled, turning to face Ceallach, "You could not accomplish your task so I see no need for you anymore."_

_Ceallach began to panic._

_"No wait! The dead man and the girl—they were together!" His boss rolled his eyes._

_"They are always together you idiot, they are partners."_

_"No! That's not what I mean!" he squealed, closing his eyes and backing away slowly, putting his hands up in defense, "I mean like a couple!"_

_Ceallach slowly opened his eyes._

_"Is this true?" his boss asked. Ceallach swallowed hard and nodded._

_"Yeah," he replied, "We saw them kissing before we attacked them."_

_Ceallach then watched his boss do something he never saw before: he smiled. He didn't know what was scarier: the thought of choking to death or the sight of his boss smiling._

_"Well, well, well. So the girl fell in love with her mentor. This could prove useful." He turned his attention back to Ceallach. "Well done Ceallach, it seems that you are good for something after all." Ceallach let out a sigh of relief._

_"I want you to keep on eye on them. See what else you can dig up." He turned to look back out the window. "It's time that Valkyrie Cain got what was coming to her."_

_

* * *

_

So? Any thoughts? I'm so sorry for the long wait and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long...or be as long...hopefully you enjoyed it though! ^^


	11. Baby Talk and Morning Sickness

Again, sorry for the long wait and sorry that this chapter is so long. If any one has any suggestions to help make this chapter better, I'm all ears...^^;

* * *

Valkyrie awoke to see Skulduggery pacing back and forth in front of her, talking on the phone, his pants pulled up in a haste, the button and zipper not even done yet due perhaps to the phone call. Valkyrie groaned as she stretched her limbs and pointed to the shirt on the floor.

"Skul, could you hand me that please?" she muttered. He picked it up and tossed it to her, continuing to pace about the floor.

"Thanks," she said, slipping it over her head as she sat and rubbed her eyes. She heard Skulduggery end his call, then felt him sit down next to her.

"Good morning," he said, slipping his arm around her waist and kissing her forehead gently.

"Morning," she replied groggily, nestling up his chest in an attempt to fall back asleep.

"Come on, you need to wake up," Skulduggery said gently shaking her, "Your parents are arriving today."

A look of horror and despair came across her face that only Skulduggery could detect.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be alright," he said, hugging her.

"No it's not," she pouted, "They will be freaking out on me and asking me lots of questions and I'm already stressed with the whole wedding being so soon and have no idea what I'm supposed to do and-" Skulduggery kissed her on the lips, interrupting her rant.

"Everything is going to be fine," he said with a slight smirk. Valkyrie glared at him.

"Don't," she said sharply.

'Don't what?" he asked with the smirk getting bigger at the sight of Valkyrie's face turning from despair to annoyed anger.

"Don't smile at me like that! Why are you not freaking out with me?" Skulduggery couldn't help but to laugh. Valkyrie got so mad she started gritting her teeth.

"Calm down," he said after he regained himself and hugged her close again, "It's going to be ok. I took care of everything." Valkyrie just stared at him.

"You did?" Skulduggery nodded.

"Yes. I called everyone and set everything up."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm completely serious."

"Wow," Valkyrie breathed, "How? When?"

"Don't worry about it; everything has been taken care of. Everyone will be here Thursday."

"You really have everything taken care of, don't you?"

"Yes I do, don't worry about anything. All you need to worry about is you."

"Alright Skul," she said, leaning into him, "I believe you. But what if I want some input in this wedding?" Skulduggery smiled.

"You can input whatever you like but I think I have you covered."

He then kissed her neck, pushing her gently back down on her back. She smiled, and then laughed as Skulduggery leaned over top of her, pinning her down. She let a soft moan pass through her lips, her arms slipping up around his neck.

She then heard the sound of a carriage coming up the stone path.

"Maybe that's my parents," she said, pushing Skulduggery off her. She slipped her underwear on then stood up to look out the window to see her parents stepping out of the carriage that had just arrived.

"They're here!" she yelled, bustling about the room trying to dress herself, then ran downstairs to meet her parents at the front door.

"Oh Stephanie!" her mother exclaimed as she spotted her daughter, hugging her tightly, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks mum," Valkyrie said, pulling away from her mother.

"Can I see the ring?" her mother asked. Valkyrie showed her mother her hand with the slender diamond ring on it. "Oh dear it's beautiful!" she said as tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged Valkyrie again then turned to help Desmond with the bags.

Valkyrie went to help unload the bags as Skulduggery came down to greet them. Melissa hugged him and Valkyrie bit back a laugh as Skulduggery awkwardly hugged her back.

"I'm so happy for you both!"

"Thank you," Skulduggery said politely, trying to keep his own excitement slightly contained. Desmond and Valkyrie came over with the bags.

"Oh let me give you a hand," Skulduggery said as he grabbed the bags from Valkyrie. She smirked, and then kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Thank you...dear," she said smartly. Skulduggery smiled.

"Anything for you...sweetheart." Valkyrie made a face at the ridiculous pet name, making Skulduggery laugh. Desmond walked inside to the desk to check in.

"So your father and I were thinking that we should have dinner together tonight," Melissa said as she followed her husband inside.

Valkyrie looked horror struck.

"Mum, I don't think-"

"We could refuse!" Skulduggery interrupted. Valkyrie shot him a quick glare.

"That's wonderful!" Melissa exclaimed as she glanced over at Desmond who seemed like he was having a hard time with the check-in.

"Excuse me I have to go help your father," she said, walking over to him. Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery.

"I don't want to have dinner with my parents!" she whined, "We still have things to do!"

"Just relax Valkyrie," he said, setting the bags down," I told you everything is taken care of, a little dinner won't hurt. Besides, it will be a chance for your parents to get to know me." Valkyrie just looked at him with agitation, her arms folded across her chest.

"I love you?" he tried. Valkyrie sighed then hugged him.

"You're lucky I love you," she muttered into his shirt. Skulduggery smiled as he lifted her head up to face him.

"I am lucky," he mumbled lovingly into her ear then kissed her lips softly.

"Aw! You two are so adorable!" Melissa squealed as she walked back over to them. Valkyrie blushed and tried to hide her face in Skulduggery's shirt.

'Well we have our rooms all set so I guess all we need to do is get settled in," Melissa said.

"Right, I'll help you carry your stuff," Skulduggery said, letting go of Valkyrie and picking the bags back up.

"Oh thank you Lorcan," she said, walking up the stairs after Desmond. Valkyrie pulled Skulduggery back over to her.

"You owe me," she whispered in his ear. Skulduggery just smirked and kissed her red cheek.

"I don't think I'll have a problem repaying it," he said, winking at her, then took off up the stairs. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs after him.

"Skul, I don't want to do this!"

"Oh come on Valkyrie, it won't be that bad. We've done this before and I don't see why this is such a big deal."

"Because I don't want them to find out!" Skulduggery stopped and turned to face the scouring Valkyrie.

"They won't find out Valkyrie and if they do then we can handle it." Valkyrie hung her head in defeat.

"I suppose so," she muttered.

"It will be fine Valkyrie, I promise you. Come on, let's get going. We don't want to keep them waiting."

"Right."

They continued down the path to the Woods Restaurant. Melissa and Desmond were already there, waiting for them. Valkyrie sat down across from them, trying to keep her distance from her mother.

"We already ordered a bottle of wine if you two would like a glass," Melissa said.

"No thank you mum, I'm alright," Valkyrie replied.

"Oh?" her mom asked, surprised, "Ok, are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Yeah mum, I'm fine really, I'll just have water."

"Same here," Skulduggery said, "Water will suit me just fine."

"Alright then," Melissa said, taking a last glance at them from over her menu.

The waiter soon came and took their orders. Valkyrie sat in her seat, fidgeting with her ring the whole time. Skulduggery must have been watching her because he soon too her hand in his, intertwining his fingers and gave her a reassuring smile.

Valkyrie felt her tense muscles relax and felt herself smile back at him.

"I still can't believe my little girl is getting married," her mother sighed, "It seems like only yesterday I was trying to pry you off my legs as you were crying because you didn't want to go to your first day of school."

"Mum!" Valkyrie whined, blushing madly. She shot Skulduggery a glare as he started laughing.

"You think that's bad? I've got loads more dear, believe me, you were quite the child." Valkyrie's face remained beet red.

"Please mum, don't. You're embarrassing me."

"Oh relax Stephanie. He's going to be your husband. So what if he hears a few embarrassing childhood memories? I'm sure he has his own." Skulduggery nodded.

"I'm certain I do. Sadly though I don't remember them."

"Oh?" Melissa said surprised, "How come may I ask?"

'Probably because he's over four hundred years old,' Valkyrie thought to herself.

"Well my parents died when I was very young so I don't remember too much of them or my childhood. I grew up pretty much on my own."

Valkyrie felt her heart drop as she wondered whether or not there was any truth to what he was saying. She didn't know anything about his childhood, he had never told her.

"Oh I'm so sorry, that's awful."

"It's quite alright actually. I believe the experience really helped me to become a strong person."

"Well it's good that you don't let it bring you down."

Their food came soon after and it stayed silent for a while after that.

"So do you have your wedding dress picked out?" Valkyrie paused in her assault of her spaghetti.

"Um...actually-"

"I have a friend bringing it up tomorrow," Skulduggery interrupted.

"Really?" Melissa asked, turning her attention to Skulduggery, "Have you seen the dress?"

"No I haven't. In fact, no one has seen it."

"Oh really? And you're ok with this Stephanie?"

"Of course! It's perfectly fine with me."

'It would have been nice if he told me beforehand,' she thought. She didn't know he had made arrangements for a wedding dress, nor for that matter who was taking care of it.

"As long as you're ok with it dear," her mother replied, "What about everything else?"

"He has everything taken care of," Valkyrie said, picking at her spaghetti again, "All the decorations, the cake, the dresses...everything. Don't you?"

"Yes I do, I had everything taken care of before we arrived, it's all set."

"Oh that's good, I can't believe you two have everything set so fast." It was silent again as everyone continued eating.

"So," Melissa said as she pushed her empty plate from her, "Have you two talked about having children?" Valkyrie choked on the water she had been drinking.

'Oh no!' her brain cried as she started coughing. Her mother looked shocked.

"Are you ok Stephanie? Was it something I said?"

"Of course it was!" Desmond interrupted, "They are not even married yet and you're talking about children!"

"I didn't think it was a big deal, I believe it's a very important issue to discuss before marrying someone. I know we discussed it before we got married."

"No mum," Valkyrie choked out, "You're fine, just…didn't expect it." Valkyrie took in a couple deep breaths as Skulduggery rubbed her back.

"Oh I'm sorry dear; we don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

"No, its ok Mrs. Edgerly," Skulduggery said, "We actually have discussed this before ourselves."

'Skulduggery?' Valkyrie's brain screamed, 'What are you doing?'

"Yeah," he continued, "We decided that we would like a child someday."

"Oh exciting!" Melissa exclaimed, "I've always wanted grandchildren!"

"How long do you plan to wait 'til you even try to have a child?" Valkyrie's father asked.

"We don't have a set time really, just whenever we are blessed with one."

"I think you are right dear," Melissa said gleefully, "Whenever you two think you're ready to be parents I think is good." Skulduggery nodded in agreement.

"I suppose so," Desmond mumbled as he continued eating his dinner.

"Stephanie? Do you think you could come with me for a second?" Skulduggery asked.

"I guess," she answered as she stood up and followed Skulduggery to a secluded part of the restaurant.

"Is anybody coming?" he asked, looking around.

"No."

"Good."

He slid down the wall and sat on the ground as his skin began to fade away to reveal the smiling skeleton Valkyrie had grown to know and love.

"Skulduggery you shouldn't do that, someone might see you," Valkyrie hissed.

"That's why you're here to keep watch. Sorry, you have no idea how weird it is to have all that food just sitting in the bottom of your stomach." He shivered. "How about you? How are you feeling?"

"Fine, except for what just happened. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I just thought it would be nice to see what your parents thought of the idea us having children." Valkyrie sighed.

"I guess it's a good thing that they are so keen to the idea, well, my mother anyway, but whether they did or didn't, I'm still having a child."

"Well now you don't have to strain yourself so much about it." Valkyrie nodded as she saw someone walking their way.

"Skulduggery! Somebody's coming!" she hissed.

She watched as his pale skin began to creep back over his white bones, completely covering him as a tall, skinny man walked by, nodding at them politely as he passed.

"Come on; let's go back to the table before your parents think something happened to us."

"Or think we went to go conceive a child," Valkyrie grumbled.

Skulduggery rolled his eyes as he slipped an arm around her waist as he led her back to the table.

"Is everything alright?" Melissa asked worriedly.

"Yes mum, everything's fine, don't worry about it. Just had to take care of some matters." Valkyrie gave her a smile to assure her everything was indeed fine.

"Alright then," Melissa replied, "So…what are everyone's plans for tomorrow?"

"Well," Skulduggery started, "I think we were going to help start decorating and setting up."

"Oh sounds good!" Melissa exclaimed, "Lot's of things to do before the wedding. Everyone else will be here tomorrow, correct?"  
"Yeah mum."

"Perfect! It will be nice to see everyone together."

'Yeah,' Valkyrie though, 'I can't wait to see how we pull this one off."

Valkyrie and Skulduggery left soon after, leaving Valkyrie's parents there to let them enjoy some time to themselves.

Valkyrie moaned as she plopped face first down on the bed the instant Skulduggery unlocked the door to their room.

"Skul, how are we going to pull this off?" she mumbled into the bed sheets. Skulduggery walked over and sat down besides her.

"I told you not to worry about it Valkyrie, everything will be fine, it's all taken care of."

Valkyrie moaned again as she sat up, then felt a wave of nausea wash over her, making her stomach churn.

"I'm going to be sick," she mumbled, then darted into the bathroom, throwing up violently in the toilet. Skulduggery chuckled.

"It seems your morning sickness has finally caught up with you."

He got up and walked over to her, finding her kneeling down, her head hung over the toilet with her hair cascaded over her shoulders, hiding her face from view. He pulled back her hair, holding it out of her face as she threw up again.

"Skul," she droned out, sitting up and leaning back into Skulduggery as he gently rubbed her back.

"It doesn't last forever Valkyrie, just a few weeks, you can handle that." Valkyrie cuddled up to Skulduggery as she felt the nausea subsiding.

"It's ok Skul, it's worth it," she mumbled, hugging him tight. She felt him smile and hold her closer.

"Thank you Valkyrie," he murmured. He kissed her head, and then helped her to her feet.

"Come on, perhaps a warm shower will help you feel better." Valkyrie smiled.

"It will if you take one with me, besides, you owe me anyways," she smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck. Skulduggery shot a smile back at her.

"You're right, I do," he said, kissing her neck sweetly, "So I suppose I'll help you get ready."

Skulduggery continued his kisses down Valkyrie's neck until he reached the collar of her shirt, in which he pulled up over her head, discarding it on the floor, and continued down her neck.

"Stop it Skulduggery," Valkyrie giggled, gently pushing him away from her. She walked over to the sink and swished a cup of water around in her mouth, ridding it of the taste of vomit.

"I don't want you to have all the fun," she said as she spit the water out, turning around to smile at him, "besides, it's my turn now."

With that she grabbed Skulduggery's tie, pulling him into a deep kiss as she kicked the bathroom door shut.


	12. Together

I'm really sorry about this late update. We have graduation this Sunday and I've been trying to get everything in before our last day. And Softball...I'm just really sorry. Please enjoy this and let me know of any mistakes and/or changes that would help make this better. The next chapter is all written, it just needs to be typed out.

* * *

The next morning was chaotic. People were bustling about the hotel and grounds, primping and priming for the upcoming wedding. Valkyrie had a hard time getting around without the fear of being run down. It gave her butterflies that all these people were working so hard for her expense, for her big day. It also gave her butterflies at the thought of her getting married. She wandered about the mansion, looking for someone familiar, making sure to stay out of people's way. It wasn't long until she bumped into Mr. Bacon in the foyer.

"Oh hello there Ms. Ca-Edgerly!" he fumbled. Skulduggery must have told him the deal with the names.

"Hello Mr. Bacon," Valkyrie greeted, "Thank you so much for all of this." Mr. Bacon smiled.

"No problem at all my dear! After all, you and your partner saved my business and I am ever thankful for it." Valkyrie smiled this time.

"Well we're glad that we could help you Mr. Bacon. I could honestly say we wouldn't be doing all this today if it wasn't for that."

"Well I'm glad I helped push you two along. I must say, you two make quite the pair. He sure is lucky to have such a beautiful young woman at his at his side."

"Aren't I just?"

Valkyrie blushed deep red as Skulduggery wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, your lucky you have me to put up with you," Valkyrie muttered. Mr. Bacon chuckled. Skulduggery smiled.

"Your right I am," he said softly. He kissed her cheek again then headed toward the dining room. "If you two will excuse me, I have some supervising to skip out on elsewhere." He left swiftly. Valkyrie turned back to Mr. Bacon.

"I should probably follow him to make sure he's not slacking off somewhere." She waved goodbye, then headed out the same way Skulduggery did.

She walked out onto the porch and looked out over the lawn, taking in a deep breath of fresh morning air. She looked out to the old apple orchard, the tops of the trees barely visible. She then caught something moving out of the corner of her eye.

She looked out at the property line and saw someone standing there, leaning against a tree. Valkyrie squinted to try and see the person better, but as soon as she focused on them, they disappeared behind a tree. She blinked her eyes in disbelief.

'Who was that?' she thought, 'It kind of looked like-'

"There's the blushing bride to be!"

Before Valkyrie could turn around to see who interrupted her thoughts, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her tightly, nearly squeezing the breath out of her. When they finally let her go, she turned around to see the tousled blond haired, sword fighter in all her leather glory.

"Tanith!" Valkyrie yelled, hugging her friend tightly, "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Same here Val! I've missed my little sis." Valkyrie let go of Tanith and saw Ghastly and Fletcher standing behind her. She hugged both of them, and then turned back to her best friend.

"So when did you guys arrive?" she asked.

"A couple minutes ago," Tanith answered, "We wanted to see you first before we did anything."

"We knew you missed me," Fletcher said, smugly. Valkyrie punched his arm in response.

"Tanith couldn't wait to show you the dresses," Ghastly said.

"Oh yeah! Tanith exclaimed as she remembered.

"Wait. The dresses? You mean…"

"Skulduggery asked me if I could do make wedding dress, and the bridesmaid dresses for that matter."

"So you're the one he had taking care of my dress?" Ghastly nodded.

"I do hope you like it," he said nervously. Valkyrie smiled.

"I know I will love it Ghastly." Tanith started jumping up and down.

"Come on Val! We need to see it!" she exclaimed.

"Alright! Oh! Did Skulduggery tell you about the name thing?" Tanith nodded.

"Yes he sis…Stephanie." Fletcher bit back a laugh. Valkyrie punched him again.

"You're going to leave a bruise!" he whined, rubbing his arm.

"You're lucky," Ghastly said, "She hasn't gone for your hair yet." Fletcher put his hands up to protect his hair. Valkyrie just rolled her eyes.

"Let's go Val!" Tanith urged, grabbing her hand. Valkyrie waved goodbye as Tanith dragged her back inside. She stopped at the front door and picked up two dress bags, then dragged Valkyrie upstairs to her room.

Tanith hung one dress up on the bathroom door and laid the other across the bed.

"Go on! Open it up!" Tanith said.

Valkyrie walked over to the bed and slowly unzipped the bag. She gasped as she pulled out an elegant white dress.

"Oh Tanith, it's beautiful," Valkyrie breathed as she examined every aspect of the dress. It was strapless, first off, and it laced up in the back with a white ribbon. Irish trinity knots and vines intertwined throughtout the bodice of the dress, leading down to where the dress flowed out to the train in the back.

"You like it then?" Tanith asked.

"I love it," Valkyrie replied, holding the dress up to herself. Tanith turned to the dress bag hanging on the bathroom door, opened it up, and held it up to herself.

"What do you think of your bridesmaid dresses?" she asked, flaunting about the red, floor length dress. It was also strapless and had a wide white ribbon that wrapped about the stomach and tied into a big bow in the back.

"They are gorgeous," Valkyrie said, smiling brightly, "and they will look even better on you." Tanith smiled and returned the dress to it's bag. Valkyrie continues to stare in awe at her dress.

"So, are you nervous?" Tanith asked, sitting down cross-legged in on of the chairs. Valkyrie just shrugged her shoulders, the blush starting to creep across her cheeks.

"Not really, I don't think. It's just…everything's happening so fast." Tanith nodded.

"I can understand that. It's a lot getting married and keeping such a big secret about your life from your family. And not to mention having a baby on top of it all." Valkyrie groaned and sat down on the bed, her face buried in her hands.

"I just don't know if I can handle this," she muttered. Tanith got up and sat down next to her.

"Val it's going to be alright. We are all here to help you and I know for a fact that you can handle this. You're a strong person Val, and can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. I know this is happening all so fast, but you can do it Valkyrie. You're a great person, an amazing friend, a wonderful daughter, and you're going to be an incredible wife and a loving mother. Cheer up Val, it's supposed to be a happy occasion." Valkyrie sat back up and took in a deep breath. She smiled at her friend.

"Your right Tanith, thank you so much." Tanith smiled and gave her a one-armed hug.

"Don't mention it sis. Hey, perhaps we can go have some fun tonight, just the two of us. We can spend the rest of the day together." Valkyire put a hand on her stomach.

"I'm limited to me fun Tanith, remember?" Tanith winked.

"We can still have fun. Besides, the boys are all going out, so I say we do to." Valkyrie pulled a face.

"They are? Well then I suppose you right, we will have to have fun ourselves." Tanith jumped up in delight.

"That's the spirit!" she exclaimed happily. Valkyrie smiled at her friend's enthusiasm.

A knock soon came from the door. Valkyrie got up and opened the door to see her mother standing there.

"Hey mum," Valkyrie said, stepping aside to allow her mother entry to the room, "Is there something you needed?" Melissa shook her head.

"No I just thought I'd see if you were in here. I have something to give you." Melissa looked at Tanith, who smiled at her, then down at the wedding dress. She gasped.

"Oh dear! Is this your dress?" she asked.

"Yup, Tanith just brought it up for me to see. Do you like it?" Melissa picked up the dress.

"It's beautiful," she said, tracing a finger delicately over the stitched designs, "and it will go perfectly with what I have for you." Valkyrie then noticed the box in her mother's hand.

"What is it mum?" Melissa looked down at the box, then back up at her daughter, smiling with tears in her eyes.

"I wanted to give you something from my wedding that you could have for yours. I assumed you would have wanted your own dress, so I decided on this." She handed Valkyrie the box, wiping away a few stray tears.

Valkyrie turned the box over a couple of times in her hands, feeling its weight. It felt light, as though there was nothing in the box at all. As curiosity began to eat her, she popped the top of the box open and pulled out a long, white wedding veil.

"Oh mum it's beautiful," Valkyrie breathed, her thumb gently rubbing over the headpiece.

"I thought you might like it," Melissa replied, taking the veil and placing it on her daughter's head.

"I love it mum, thank you so much." Melissa smiled and hugged her daughter.

"Oh Stephanie you look gorgeous!" Tanith squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. Valkyrie blushed. Melissa hugged her again.

"You really do," she said, pushing a stray strand of hair behind Valkyrie's ear.

"Thanks mum." She took the veil off and laid it over the dress.

"Come on Steph," Tanith said, walking over and putting an arm around Valkyrie's shoulder, "How about we go into town and have us a bit of fun? You're welcome to join us Mrs. Edgerly." Valkyrie panicked for a second.

"No you two go and have fun, you deserve it." Valkyrie breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

"Alright then, come on Steph, let's go!" Tanith linked arms with her and dragged her out the door.

Tanith had pulled Valkyrie all over town, into every store, fudge shop and restaurant. By the end of the day, Tanith had three bags of clothing from five different stores, three boxes of fudge, and a couple of drinks from the Pub and Oyster Bar. Tanith had ended their outing by setting in Marquette Park, watching the hot guys (according to Tanith) playing frizbee as she sipped on a cup of lemonade.

When they returned to the mansion, Valkyrie found to her horror that her family had arrived, including Beryl and Fergus and their awful offspring: Crystal and Carol. Now Valkyrie laid across her bed, exhausted, just wanting to lay there for the rest of her life. The serenity and peacefulness of the room was abruptly interrupted as someone entered the room. She felt someone sit down next to her and brush a couple of strands away from her face.

"Long day?" Valkyrie groaned and opened her eyes to see Skulduggery looking down at her.

"Tanith dragged me around everywhere today," she groaned as she sat up and leaned her head on his shoulder. Skulduggery put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her tight to him.

"Want me to kiss you all better?" he said seductively, leaning over to kiss her neck. She smiled but pushed him away.

"Not today," she said as she situated herself against him again, "How was your time out with the boys?" Skulduggery shrugged.

"It was alright, we went down to the Irish pub. Fletcher is annihilated though, which was pretty funny." Valkyrie snorted.

"Oh I bet it was. I wish I could have seen that. What did you guys do with him?"

"We had to call a taxi and drag him into it. The whole way up here he sang obsensly until he finally passed out. Poor Ghastly had to carry him to his room." Valkyrie laughed.

"Remind me to yell in his ear tomorrow morning." She sighed happily and closed her eyes.

"It's almost here," she said softly, "Only a couple more days." Skulduggery nodded and picked up her hand with her ring on it, turning the metal it around with thumb.

"Are you nervous?" he asked. Valkyrie felt her face go red.

What should she say? Of course she was nervous, her heart beat hard in her chest just thinking about it. But she didn't want him to give him the wrong idea, thinking that she didn't want to marry him. She resulted in shrugging her shoulders and burying her face in his shirt.

"A little bit," she mumbled. Skulduggery smiled as he kissed her forehead.

"It's ok Valkyrie. I would call you a fool if you weren't. I was nervous when I first got married, and I'm still nervous now." Valkyrie smiled.

"You? Nervous?"

"Oh of course, why wouldn't I be?" Skulduggery said, "I'm about to marry a beautiful young woman who I love and care for with all my heart, metaphorically speaking, and who is currently carrying my child. I'm nervous I'm not going to say the right things, do the right things, and that something might happen and I'd lose you. Nervous that I won't be there to protect you just like I wasn't there to protect my family." Valkyrie felt her heart sink.

"Skul that wasn't your fault, you loved and protected them above and beyond her abilities. You cared and did everything you possibly could for them, but… some things just…happen." Skulduggery sighed and shook his head.

"No Valkyrie it didn't just happen. I let it happen; I didn't think they would be dragged in. I never thought they would be used to get at me." He spoke the last part quietly, barely audible.

Valkyrie felt the tears well up in her eyes, threatening to spill as her heart ached. She couldn't possibly imagine the pain and suffering he had lived through, the years of torment and torture. She laced her fingers with his and buried her face in his neck.

"You are not alone in this Skul," she whispered, "We will protect each other and this baby together. We are a team Skul and always will be. You will never have to put all that weight on you, we share it." Skulduggery smiled gently and rested his head on hers.

"Your right Valkyrie," he said, "Thank you." Valkyrie smiled, but her smile soon turned into a frown as she yet again felt the nausea building in her stomach.

"Uh oh," she mumbled as she bolted up and darted into the bathroom. Skulduggery just smiled as he stood up and walked to the bathroom.

"Here we go again."


End file.
